Pro Tools w/o HD ?

I'm preparing to migrate my studio to a PC based DAW situation. I'm trying to decide between Cubase and ProTools. The discussions I have read never mention whether or not the Pro Tools solution they endorse is the HD/Card assisted version (though I assume it probably is). My question is, is anybody running software only protools on a PC and happy with it? Or am I correct in assuming I'd be better off with Cubase?

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It really depends on your needs Gregory. If you need the extended track counts and processing power offered by the HD version then it will be best, but if you are just mixing a lot or only recording 16-24 tracks at a time, then you certainly can go with a native based version. Actually the newer versions of ProTools all use native processing (non card based) extensively. So, if you are doing song demos or mixing, save your money and stay away from HD. If you are recording a film score and doing dialog replacement, foley sound effects and music layback, then HD is the call.